Pearland teen arrested in UH armed robbery

Updated 8:33 pm, Tuesday, April 16, 2013

A safe containing drugs seized by University of Houston police. (Dale Lezon/ HC)

A safe containing drugs seized by University of Houston police. (Dale Lezon/ HC)

Photo: Lezon

Pearland teen arrested in UH armed robbery

1 / 2

Back to Gallery

A Pearland teen accused of robbing the roommates of a University of Houston student who allegedly had sold him drugs was arrested on Tuesday, officials said.

University police arrested James Manns about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday at his home, said UH Police Chief Ceaser Moore. The 18-year-old is charged with aggravated robbery.

The student, 19-year-old Samy Gharbaoui, is charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana, Moore said. He also was arrested Tuesday.

Manns and three others showed up at Gharbaoui's apartment about 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cambridge Oaks Student Village at 4444 Cullen Blvd., police said.

Armed with handgun

When a student-resident answered a knock at the door, one of the attackers pointed a black semi-automatic handgun in his face and forced him back inside the apartment. The gunman, later identified as Manns, marched the student to a bedroom, where a roommate was studying. Manns ordered both students to give him their wallets.

Manns them told them to stay in their room or he would shoot them, police said.

The roommates heard the gunman go into another bedroom and later leave the apartment.

No injuries were reported.

Moore said investigators later determined that Manns had bought drugs from Gharbaoui earlier in the day and then contacted him later to say he wanted more drugs.

Drugs in safe

Gharbaoui told him he was not at his apartment and couldn't accommodate him. But Manns and his three accomplices went to the apartment anyway. Gharbaoui was not at the apartment during the robbery.

Moore said police found a safe in the apartment containing LSD, ecstasy, Adderall and marijuana. The safe and drugs were connected to Gharbaoui, Moore said.

The other students who live at the apartment with Gharbaoui had no knowledge of the drugs in the safe, Moore said.